A Halloween Event
by Dirty Robber
Summary: Angela drags Brennan out of the lab for a little Halloween fun.


**A Halloween Event**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the lovely wonderful characters associated with BONES…as if you all didn't know that already.**

**Author's notes: I've read many of the wonderful Halloween fics that have been submitted for Cullen's Bull Pen Challenge and they have really helped put me in the mood for my favorite holiday. After going to a haunted house (which was really more of an event and included a corn maze, a tram ride through the woods and a trip through the spooky ghoulish demonic crash course) with my best friend, I decided to use my experience for this story—mostly because it was the funniest damn thing I've seen in a long time. My best friend is very much like Angela—funny, outrageous, sincere and able to talk me into doing almost anything. I, on the other hand, am a little more like Brennan—serious, introverted and logical. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy reading this as much I enjoyed writing it. By the way, I'm not submitting it for the challenge…this was just for fun and there are other stories on this site that are far better than this one.**

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Angela pushed her way through the massive crowd, pulling a reluctant Brennan by the hand. Music pulsated through the dark, cold starry night sending a large portion of the waiting crowd into dance mode in order to stay warm.

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this," Brennan huffed as her friend continued to guide her through the ever growing crowd.

"Sweetie, I rescued you, once again, from the confines of the lab for a night of fun—Halloween fun!"

"Halloween is not for another two weeks Ange."

Angela came to a halt behind a line of people at an entrance marked "Reservations" and turned to face her friend. She flashed Brennan a brilliant smile and waved two tickets around. "This is going to be sooo much fun! I made reservations for us weeks ago…"

"Reservations? For a haunted house?" Brennan crossed her arms and studied the dark haired woman in front of her as though she was insane.

"Yes, Bren, reservations. If I didn't get these tickets online weeks ago, we would be standing in line for three or four hours!"

"No, _you_ would be standing in line for three or four hours. I would have left you money to catch a cab back to DC." Brennan glanced around at the large crowd, noting the different age groups that had gathered at the old Sandberg farm house outside of the city. Middle aged couples, young couples with young children and teenagers stood huddled together in the crowd, enjoying the music that the DJ was playing. Brennan recognized the current song as Michael Jackson's "Thriller"—Russ had played that album over and over again when they were kids.

After Angela had roped her into leaving early and going out for "Halloween fun", Brennan had taken a few minutes to read about the legend of the haunted Sandberg farm.

The dilapidated two story house standing before the large crowd had been built in 1880 by Marcus Sandberg. Brennan's eyes glanced over the two by four boards that crisscrossed the outside of the windows of the house. Her gaze then fell on the figure of a hooded man hanging by a rope from the roof at the front of the house. Every thirty seconds, the "man's" legs would kick and began swinging his body back and forth. Legend had it that Marcus returned home from a hard day of labor out in the cornfields and for some inexplicable reason killed his wife, his two sons and two daughters and then hanged himself from the rooftop. There was no explanation of his actions…no rhyme or reason. Brennan had found the story sad as opposed to scary.

"Come on sweetie, just go with it," Angela said as she nudged Brennan with her shoulder. "Let loose, have fun."

The anthropologist's gaze flitted to a large screen showing a man jumping from the roof with a rope around his neck. The next image was of a man and a woman entering the Sandberg house, creeping along until they were confronted by two men dressed as demonic clowns who butchered them. Brennan rolled her eyes and returned her gaze to Angela's face.

"Fun? How do you equate being scared with having fun? And what do demonic killing clowns have to do with the legend of a man who killed his family and then himself?"

Angela sighed, pulling Brennan with her as the line moved. "Look, I know that you don't like Halloween…or Thanksgiving…or Christmas…or apparently any holiday and you despise how our society twists the facts and commercializes everything, but please for one night, could you please just go with the flow?"

"Fine," she mumbled. "But I still don't understand the demonic clowns."

At that moment the sound of a chainsaw caught the attention of both women who were positioned in line with a full view of the back of the house. They watched as a group of six people came running out the back door, screaming and laughing.

Angela chuckled and grabbed her friend's arm. "Come on, you're not the least bit excited?"

"Angela, I spend all day examining the skeletal remains of murder victims…having people dressed up in costumes jump out at me is neither exciting nor scary."

The artist sighed once again. "Go with the flow, remember?"

Brennan nodded and then gently nudged her friend forward as the line moved again.

After a forty-five minute wait in the reservations line and listening to a variety of music that included "My Humps", "Hollaback Girl", "Monster Mash" and another round of "Thriller", Brennan and Angela made it to the front of the line. When the woman dressed as a genie lifted the rope, allowing the next group of six people to ascend the stairs to the house, Angela grabbed her friend's hand, emitting a small squeal, and dragged Brennan with her.

The group entered the house and was immediately greeted by a man dressed in a black cape with slicked back hair and a deathly pale face. He motioned for them to look at a skull encased in a glass ball that instructed them to be wary of their journey through the house and the woods for there was danger afoot. Brennan rolled her eyes again just as the group was herded into an "elevator".

The ghoulish creature in the elevator cracked jokes about descending to the first floor for lingerie and serial killers as he pushed the button, sending the elevator into a spin. Angela grabbed Brennan, hugging her close, screaming.

"Why are you screaming?"

"Because something scary is going to happen."

"But it hasn't happened yet." The logical part of Brennan's brain could not comprehend her friend's desire to be scared. Weren't real life and the cases they worked on every day scary enough?

"But it will…" At that moment the back panel of the elevator opened and a "dead creature" reached out, growling, pawing at the people in the back of the enclosed room. Angela screamed again, grabbed Brennan's hand and pushed her way out of the elevator into a corridor.

"Angela!" Brennan's reprimand of her friend's behavior was cut short by a figure rushing toward them and the sound of a chainsaw. The artist screamed again and pulled Brennan through the exit into the cold night air. She stopped once she was in the backyard and glanced at Brennan with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"That was awesome!"

Brennan's eyebrows quirked in amusement as she shook her head. "Are you ready to go now?"

"What?! No, Bren, there's still more!"

"Everybody ready for the tram?" a man dressed as a dead Confederate soldier asked as he opened the gate for the group to exit the backyard. They moved out and the group climbed on board, two to a seat.

Angela hooked her right arm through Brennan's left and pulled her friend close as they waited for the tram to begin its journey through the woods. As the driver moved the tram forward, Brennan noticed movement in the wooded area to her right.

"Angela, you do know that there are people out in the woods, right?" She glanced over at the artist whose dark eyes narrowed as she looked around them.

"I don't see anyone. Where…"

Before Angela could finish her question, men dressed in dark costumes with white faces, their lips lined with red makeup as though they had been drinking blood, jumped onto the sides of the tram. Angela jumped, releasing her hold on Brennan and began screaming once again. Brennan sat and watched as the men moved along the sides of the individual carts, lunging at people to scare them. One man slowly made his way toward her, an evil smile on his face. Brennan rolled her eyes as he took a seat next to her.

"Bren!" Angela screamed as she grabbed her friend's leg and pulled Brennan toward her. Brennan slapped at Angela's hand and turned to tell her to let go when she noticed another man taking a seat beside Angela. Before she could warn her, the artist turned away and began to scream as the man growled at her.

The men jumped off the tram as quickly as they had arrived and moved back to their positions in the woods to await their next victims. The tram exited the woods and came to a stop in front of a cornfield that had been constructed into a creepy maze.

Angela had once again reclaimed her senses and jumped off the tram in anticipation of the next bout of fright. Brennan climbed off the tram and glanced around, attempting to decipher how far they were from the parking lot. Perhaps she could walk away before Angela noticed….

"Okay, sweetie, don't let go of my hand in here," she instructed before Brennan had a chance to get away. "I really don't want to get lost in there all by myself."

The group slowly entered the maze, each person anticipating the next frightening figure that would jump out at them.

"You know there are people out there, just keep walking…" Brennan offered in a loud tone just as the sound of machine guns ripped through the silence.

"Run!" Angela grabbed the lapel of Brennan's jacket and dragged her forward, pushing a man and woman out of their way.

"Machine guns in a cornfield?" Brennan questioned breathlessly as she was being dragged. Angela continued to scream at every turn when another creature jumped out into their path or reached out through the stalks of corn. The friends exited the maze after a few more minutes and found themselves standing in front of large eerie looking building.

She watched as Angela ran to the front of the line like an overexcited child. Brennan rubbed her cold hands together and slowly made her way to her friend whose boundless energy was exhausting to watch.

"This is supposed to be the scariest part," Angela whispered as though the information was a government secret.

"Great…because you haven't screamed in my ear enough this evening." Brennan softened her sarcastic comment with a lopsided grin causing her friend to laugh.

"You haven't been scared at all?"

"Nope. There is no logical reason to be scared. There are no such things as ghosts, ghouls or zombies. The demonic clowns are more confusing than scary…"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Forget the clowns already."

The group was ushered inside the building before the friends could continue their conversation. Angela huddled close to Brennan as they entered a corridor lined with a chain-linked fence and lit by a strobe light. Brennan narrowed her eyes against the offensive lighting situation and noticed a man in a clown outfit standing a few feet in front of them. She cringed, anticipating her best friend's screams but didn't hear anything. Suddenly, Brennan felt Angela collide into her left side. As she turned to admonish her friend, Brennan came face to face with a clown. She heard Angela screaming her name as she ran down the corridor leaving her alone with her new friend.

"She shoved you into me didn't she?" Brennan asked the clown.

He smiled, showing his pointy teeth and nodded.

"Excuse me." She began walking briskly to catch up with Angela.

As she and the rest of the group exited the corridor, she found the artist pacing, waiting for her.

"Oh my god, Bren," she said as she rushed toward her friend. "Was that not the scariest thing you've ever seen?"

"Which part are you referring to? The evil clown or my best friend running away after shoving the clown into me?"

Angela grinned. "Sorry, I got caught up in the moment." She grabbed Brennan's hand and pulled her into the next corridor, which was extremely narrow and completely dark. "Brennan, do not let go of me!"

Brennan used her free hand to feel the surface of the corridor and was greeted by the presence of a cold hand sticking out of the wall. Apparently Angela was greeted by another hand at the same time because it was at that moment that she emitted a very loud scream and began pulling Brennan once again through the dark corridor at full speed.

After they exited the corridor, Angela released Brennan's hand and ran through the next doorway into a well lit area that had been constructed to look like a graveyard. Brennan heard Angela scream and she rushed into the graveyard area to find her best friend cornered by two zombies. She sauntered over to the trio and smiled.

"You okay Ange?" The zombies glanced over at Brennan and looked her up and down. They exchanged a confused look and then glanced over at Angela.

"Yeah, she's not scared of you," Angela explained before she started running again.

Brennan took a deep breath and sighed before she ran after her friend.

She found Angela waiting for her just outside of another room that was lined with a chain-linked fence and bright lights. Angela grabbed her arm and dragged her inside. They were confronted by a tall man in an orange jumpsuit standing on the other side of the fence, staring at them with an evil gleam in his dark eyes. He lunged forward and hit the fence with his hand, rattling the fence throughout the room.

Angela decided to take the moment to be brave. "Yeah, you're lucky you're on the other side of that fence, buddy, because…"

The friends moved along the fence and turned the corner to find the man standing in their path. Brennan's eyes flitted to the baton in his right hand.

"Oh crap," Angela whispered as she pulled Brennan in front of her using her as a shield. The man took the baton and hit the fence post as hard as he could, sending Angela into another screaming fit. Brennan moved toward the man without hesitation and began to walk past him. Angela pushed her way past her friend and the maniac with the baton and ran away screaming.

Brennan followed her friend's screams as she walked and jogged through the remaining scary scenarios. She found her doubled over outside of yet another corridor, attempting to catch her breath.

"I…thought…I…told….you…not to…let go…" Slowing her breathing, Angela stood and placed her hands on her hips.

"You're the one that let go of me and left me behind," Brennan quickly reminded her. She felt an object slam into her right hip as a pair of small arms encircled her waist. Looking down, Brennan found a young girl sobbing into her side. Frightened blue eyes locked with amused brown eyes as Angela laughed.

"Demonic clowns, zombies and ghouls don't bother you but a crying child scares the hell out of you," she said as she shook her head.

"Get her off of me," Brennan requested softly as she held her arms up.

The little girl began crying harder, her grasp on Brennan tightening. "Don't let them get me please."

"Oh sweetie, it's okay. It's all make believe." Angela kneeled down next to the girl as a zombie came rushing into the area. Brennan glared at him and held her hand up.

"Enough," she said through clenched teeth causing the zombie to quickly retreat.

Angela managed to gather the small girl into her arms and calm her somewhat. Brennan stood back with her hands in her pants pockets, watching the artist soothe the child.

"There you are," a man's voice boomed behind them. The little girl turned from Angela's embrace and ran toward the man.

"Daddy! I thought the zombie got you."

"No, cupcake, I'm fine. I told you not to run off from me, didn't I?" The little girl nodded as her father picked her up. "We just have to go through this tunnel and we're done."

"No more monsters though right?" the girl asked as she sniffled.

"No more monsters." He glanced at Angela and Brennan, offering them a smile. "Thanks for taking care of her."

"Perhaps she's too young for this sort of activity," Brennan began as Angela squeezed her arm.

"Why don't you two go before us?" Angela offered as she hooked her arm through her friend's.

"I'm certain that Booth would not have subjected Parker to this sort of thing," she explained before her friend could reprimand her for her comment.

"Well you set a new record—it only took half the night before you mentioned Booth."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Angela laughed and pulled her friend to the last part of their Halloween event. The tunnel was an upset to their equilibrium with the trippy lights and motion but it was zombie and ghoul free.

As they exited the tunnel, the friends breathed in the cold crisp air and began walking back towards the large crowd that was still waiting for their scary experience. Brennan found herself chuckling as they trekked along.

"What's so funny?"

"You," Brennan admitted. "It was pretty amusing to watch you shoving people out of your way, running like…like..."

"An idiot?" Angela completed as she giggled.

"You said it, not me."

"So you're telling me that you had fun?"

Brennan stopped walking and smiled at her friend. "I wasn't scared but yes, I did have fun."

As Brennan was talking to her, Angela watched as a man dressed in black with a wig of long stringy hair and a bloody face approached her friend. Before she had an opportunity to warn Brennan, the man reached out and grabbed the anthropologist's arm in an effort to scare her.

Brennan reacted quickly, grabbing the man's hand and arm, flipping him over her shoulder. The man hit the ground with a thud and Brennan moved above him, twisting his wrist as she placed her right foot on his throat.

"Hey, let go of him," a zombie yelled as he rushed toward Brennan. Angela jumped on the zombie's back as he tired to grab her friend.

"Don't touch her!" the artist yelled.

"Can you let go of my arm please?" the man on the ground managed to ask in a raspy voice.

Brennan watched as the zombie struggled to get Angela off his back. When she heard the sirens in the distance, she knew there was a good chance that she would be seeing Booth before Monday morning.

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"You grabbed her arm?" Booth questioned the young man at the police station. He quickly turned around to face the officer who had arrested his partner and Angela. "Why wasn't he charged with assault? It sounds like Dr. Brennan and Miss Montenegro were simply defending themselves."

"Dude, you are so lucky you didn't receive a real beat down." Dr. Jack Hodgins laughed as he watched the young man rub his sore wrist. When Angela had called him to tell him that she and Brennan were in jail, Jack couldn't resist accompanying Booth to pick them up. He was actually flattered that she had used her one phone call on him. And he was not at all surprised that Brennan had used hers to call Booth.

The officer sighed. "Look, I can agree that Dr. Brennan defended herself since Ralph did put his hands on her first…but Miss Montenegro is a different matter. She jumped on Nathan's back without provocation and hit him pretty hard in the process."

Jack stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes at the officer. "Angela is not a violent person. If she jumped on that dumbass over there and hit him, then she had a good reason."

Booth walked over to the two young men and glared at them. "Care to explain why she would have jumped on you?"

"It might have been because I was reaching out to grab that other chick," Nathan offered nervously. His scary zombie makeup was smeared as he glanced up at the agent.

"Hah! See!" Jack slammed his hand down on the officer's desk.

The officer glanced over at the young men and glared. "You guys don't really want to pursue this do you?" The men shook their heads and cast their gazes down to their shoes. "Fine, let me get your girlfriends for you."

Hodgins and Booth both chuckled at the officer's mistake but neither bothered to correct him.

Brennan and Angela entered the office a few minutes later, each looking slightly embarrassed by their situation.

"How did the big house treat you?" Hodgins asked Angela as he helped her into her jacket.

"Very funny, we were only in there for an hour and a half," she replied as she smacked at his arm.

"Careful now, Angela, I might press charges for assault." The two stared at each other and smiled.

Booth cleared his throat, drawing their attention away from each other. "Are we ready to go?"

Brennan slipped on her jacket and searched her pockets for her car keys. "Absolutely. Can you drive us to my car?"

As they exited the police department, Booth slipped his arm around Brennan's shoulders and pulled her in close to him. "I thought Angela learned not to drag you out of the lab after the whole mummified remains in the wall and meth thing…"

"Don't start Booth."

"Yeah, I guess from now when you two go out I just need to tag along," he teased as they walked behind Angela and Hodgins.

"No, you don't," Brennan said. "Angela invited me out for Halloween fun…"

"Halloween fun, huh? I didn't take you for someone who liked Halloween, Bones."

Brennan turned her face toward his and grinned. "I'm a surprising woman, remember?"

He laughed as he squeezed her shoulder gently. "Yes you were surprising right up until you assaulted someone. _That _didn't really surprise me."

They smiled at each other for a moment as they reached his SUV. "Happy Halloween Bones."

"It's not Halloween yet, Booth," she said as she opened the door and entered the SUV.

"Then there's plenty of time to consider going trick or treating with me." He smiled at her as she buckled her seatbelt and he shut the door.

"That might be a hell of a treat," she muttered to herself.

**Happy Halloween everyone!!! May you all receive chocolate-covered Booths!**

**Now, back to work on my other two stories….**


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